Friday, July 29, 2011

Reproductive Health Bill: Advantageous or not?

As a student, how would you describe RH Bill? How would it affect people's manner? What are really the advantages and disadvantages of the Reproductive Health Bill?

Much has been written about the Reproductive Health bill and much has been argued for and against it, however, not all has been said

The statement that reproductive health means “free sex, use of contraceptives, abortion if contraception fails…” is not found anywhere on that bill. Use of contraceptives, yes, but free sex and abortion if contraception fails?! If you have read the bill, that’s definitely putting words into the authors’ mouth.Contraception as defined “poison in the wound, kill babies inside the womb.” In medical lingo, contraception is prevention of pregnancy so basically, you don’t kill any babies because in the 1st place, there aren’t any babies to kill.“condoms increases sexual activity, increases incidence of AIDS and other STDs.” First of all, let me say that condoms are not the enemy here. Time brings change and one of those changes is a more liberated view on sexuality and sexual practices. Condoms are not for prevention of sex because sex is, to put it simply,impossible to preventThe argument that people are our greatest asset so why are we preventing birth? The bill doesn’t force couples to only have 2 children, rather, they provide them w/ an effective choice of being responsible parents by not having too many kids. Isn’t that the same w/ natural family planning?My point is this: natural family planning has been practiced since time began and it has never been effective. We have to admit that sex is probably one of the strongest forces on earth and is in us—and it is almost always impossible to control. In the advent of poverty, price increases, STDs, AIDs and other crisis, we need to help our people, especially those on the lower end of the financial ladder, take care of their family by not having too many children too soon too fast and we can’t do that with the natural method because that method has failed over and over and over again. The reproductive health bill not only gives us a choice of which contraception is best for us—it prevents couples from having too many children whom they can’t feed, too many children whom they will leave to die in malnutrition, too many children who will not have an education. God may have told us to procreate but I’m sure he did not mean this way. Contraception is not a sin but having 10 kids and not being able to feed them and take care of them is more than just a sin—its violation of human rights and a child’s right. And it's hard for me to see many pity children on streets. All we should do is to have the will to do our responsibility as educated people.